The Apprentice
by cruciothelights
Summary: At twenty eight, Hermione needed a challenge. Will apprenticing for Severus Snape be the biggest challenge she will face, or will it be denying the feelings that are brewing in the cauldron of her life.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: The Apprentice.  
Chapter: 1 – Arrival  
Author: LizzyUnexpected  
Rating: R/MA; HG/SS  
Warnings: None Yet  
AN: Just a little fic that's been on my mind for... well months really. And I plan to make it longer, I promise :) There will be smut in this, and it is relatively DH compliant, but disregards the Epilogue and Snape's death, obviously.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, they belong to J.K Rowling. And if I did own it, Snape would have nevereverever died.**

Hermione stood in front of her long mirror looking over herself, thinking. _When Am I not thinking? I can't shut my bloody brain off!_ She was lost in her thoughts and didn't notice the time until her cat prowled up to her, awakening her from her daze. She looked at the cat and sighed, reaching down to pat her orange furriness before she finished buttoning her shirt. Pulling her hair up as she walked out the door, her shrunken trunk in her handbag, she locked her small London apartment for the year and apparated to the gates of Hogwarts, a place she hadn't been in over eight years. The buildings hadn't appeared to have changed; _Good,_ she thought to herself, _It would break my heart to see it turn into some theme park for magical folk, I'm glad they're keeping tradition._ She smiled and smoothed down her pencil skirt confidently, making her way up to the castle stairs.

She had been dreading this day since she had been accepted as Severus Snape's potion's apprentice. She was thirsty for knowledge, and somehow, her job at the ministry had her bored senseless, seeing the same dreary buildings and the same dreary people every day wasn't as brilliant as everyone made it out to be. So, being the headstrong, twenty-eight year old that she was, she quit. She loved potions, but she wasn't sure she was going to cope with Snape. He was tolerable and she didn't exactly hate him, but she didn't like him either. He was a git, a jerk, an arse, whatever terminology you could think of for a emotionless dungeon bat, that was what he was to her.

Being so lost in her thoughts, _again_, she didn't see the dark man join her in step. Severus looked over Hermione with a slight smirk tainting his usually harsh features. She had grown into a woman, and most probably the most annoying, stubborn and conservative woman in the history of his past students. He frowned when he noticed that she never noticed him, so he cleared his throat softly, to gain her attention;

"Miss Gran-" He started, but he was interrupted by a yelp as Hermione jumped away from him and clutched at her heart, as if it was going to explode.

"Holy _fuck!_" Hermione blinked and shook her head in confusion, noting never to say that word to his face again, because his brow raised and he almost laughed, and Merlin forbid the day that Severus Snape actually _laughed;_ "Where the bloody hell in Merlin's name did you appear from?"

At this, Severus chuckled slightly, and Hermione winced as her hair stood on end from the sound off his smooth, velvety voice, she thought it may be from how she hadn't heard him speak since she was by his bedside in hospital after she had administered the potions that saved his life, and all he told her was to _'get the hell away from him.' _Snape almost smiled. Almost. But he cleared his throat and nodded a little;

"I didn't appear from anywhere, Miss Granger. If you, perhaps, were a little more observant, than you would know that. But it appears that nothing has changed, going off into your own little world once again," With that, he took her by the elbow, not forcefully, but hard enough that she jumped in surprise and followed him, her skin prickling at his touch. She wondered why the _hell_ he had such an intense effect on her, it was unwelcome, yet whenever she was around him her palms would sweat and she found the need to look away from his piercing gaze. She gnawed on her bottom lip, a bad habit she had gained during her long nights of waiting for Ronald to come home from his romps, lipstick on his collar, and perfume lingering in the air. She knew what he was doing, but she never confronted him, not with his drinking problems. He had let fame get to his head, he was a celebrity, so why couldn't he enjoy the pleasures of celebrities. It became too much for her eventually, so she just packed up and left, he hadn't talked to her in seven years, and frankly, she didn't really give a shit. That Ronald Weasley was not the one she loved.

Severus had pulled her into their shared common room and let her go, and she jolted slightly, "Thankyou for being so... Gentle." she smirked and put her bag down and looked around the room. It was stylish, and their were book cases adorning the walls, the colours of thousands of books spines, brightening the dungeons in their own special way. The furniture was dark mahogany and the fabrics a dark Slytherin green, as she expected.

Severus sighed a little and handed her a piece of paper, his breath hitching as their hand's touched, "Well... Ah... Here's the potions that I expect to be brewed by tomorrow... My personal lab is down the hall, third door to the left, my bedroom, which you will not enter under any circumstances, is second on the right, the study, first on the right, your bedroom, first door on the left, and the... shared... bathroom," he seemed disturbed by this, "Next to your room, second door on the left. I shall see you later, we'll be having dinner in our common room tonight, since school doesn't start until after the weekend." With that he stalked from the room, leaving Hermione to her thoughts and her fantasies once again.

He had changed... He was somehow, kinder, and in a way, even though he had been ten years younger when she last saw him, he looked more youthful, as the stress had been lifted off his shoulders with the downfall of Voldemort. He no longer had a sickly pale look to him, his skin looking pinker and healthier. His eyes had brightened, still piercing, and it almost looked as if he hadn't really sneered, or frowned in years. His hair looked silky and the roots where gathering some white hairs at the ripe age of forty seven. He looked better, and she couldn't help but smile at the thought that this apprenticeship may not have been such a bad idea at all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: The Apprentice.  
Chapter: 2 – Colleagues.  
Author: LizzyUnexpected  
Rating: R/MA; HG/SS  
Warnings: Language at the moment  
AN: Alright kiddlywinks, here's another one. I will try and update at least once every two days, I have a full time job and it gets pretty hectic :/**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, they belong to J.K Rowling. And if I did own it, Snape would have nevereverever died.**

Dinner in the common room with Severus Snape was one of the most awkward things that Hermione had ever experienced. Their cutlery clinked and clattered against their plates as they twirled the long pasta around their forks. There were no words spoken by either parties, but there were stolen glances and throat clearings from the both of them, almost asking for attention from each other. After dinner, Severus got more comfortable, and his leg accidentally brushed against Hermione's, and she took in a breath of surprise before looking up at him from beneath her lashes. He was looking down at the table and was tracing a pattern absent-mindedly. _Absent-mindedly? Severus Snape does not do things with any sort of absence in that clearly complicated mind of his! Surely you're mistaken! _She internally slapped herself at her thoughts and as she noticed that he wasn't looking, she let her eyes wander over his body.

There was no doubt at all that he looked better than he did from back in his days at Hogwarts, he was less sallow and he had filled out. He wasn't overly attractive, but there was something alluring about the way he set himself, his flowing and languid movements. His hands were calloused, but they were the tools of his trade, his magical members, if you will. His hands seemed calm and controlled, but she knew that they were the source of much grief in the past, whether it be his own or others. His shoulders were still rigid and strong, but they seemed more relaxed; or as relaxed as one Severus Snape could be. She smirked a little to herself as she noted that his nose, still the same, large... well _enormous_ looking honker he had before, now looked like it belonged on his face, as his cheeks were not so hollow. His eyes... _Wait... His eyes? _Hermione blushed when she found Severus' onyx eyes staring into her own as she was caught looking over his body and she cleared her throat, standing up with a tight, yet polite smile;

"Well... I think I might retire to bed... I'll see you tomorrow in the lab, Professor," Hermione sighed and began to walk out of the room, but not before Snape caught her by the wrist and pulled her around. His expression was serious and confused, but she wasn't about to ask him what was wrong. He was her ex-professor, and practically her new boss, she didn't need to have problems with making friends with him, but something was urging her to ignore her logic, she wanted desperately to ask him questions to feed her thirst for knowledge, but she found that her Gryffindor courage had run out the window, along with her ability to breathe;

"Call me Severus, please. We are colleagues now... I don't want to use such formalities with you when we live in such confines. I will call you Hermione, just... I don't want you to think of me as your professor." Severus almost huffed, but he settled for a soft sigh as he released her wrist, after a slow and deliberate stroke up her arm, and she nodded slightly as she realised their faces were barely inches away from another, and she looked up into his ebony eyes, and he stared right back into her whiskey orbs. Hermione felt her breath quicken and she couldn't tare her eyes from his. She finally gathered her thoughts and nodded again;

"Alright... Goodnight," She barely breathed the words as she turned on her heel and practically jogged to her room, her legs going at top speed to get away from something that she had no idea what to think of. She got into her room and closed the door, resting her forehead against it, breathing heavily from the shock of what had just occurred. He had touched her. Tenderly. _What the fuck?_ They had been close, and if she leant in a couple of inches, their lips would have touched, and she would have tasted his soft li- _Hermione! What are you thinking about your old teacher like __**that**__for?_ She huffed and stripped down into her underwear, not even bothering to change into her pyjamas before collapsing down onto the bed and succumbing to the sleep she had been denied of through the day.

Severus, however, was lying in his bed for a long while, thinking of what was going on. She was his ex student, yet when she came into the room, he felt self conscious, and yes, Severus Snape _does_ get self conscious, except he never let everyone know it. Hermione, his apprentice, was having some strange sort of affect on him. He felt as if she was drawing him closer, and he was terrified by the fact he was so content with touching her. His hands were meant for potions and potions only. But sometimes he felt his mind wander to think about where else he could put his hands, how they could run down her sid- _Severus! Ex. Student. There._ He coughed uncomfortably and turned to his side, falling asleep with his thoughts.

_

Severus was brewing quietly the next morning as Hermione walked in with a yawn, "Morning Pro-Severus." she cleared her throat and started on her list of potions that she had to brew before she made a fool of herself. She didn't pay attention to anything but the potion, there was no way he was taking her off guard again like the night before, when she had embarrassed herself by looking over his body like a love-sick student. She had no feelings toward him, she was just making comments towards his heath... wasn't she? She risked a glance to look at Severus and watched him chop up his ingredients, his movements were quick and precise, while hers, she felt were sloppy in comparison. She was getting angry at herself and tried to chop more quickly before she got her finger with the sharp knife;

"Ah fuck!" she held her finger and groaned as blood poured out. She didn't notice the drops that fell into the potion but merely held her finger. Severus' head snapped up as he heard her curse and was by her side in an instant. He knew all about cuts from the potion's knives, he got them daily. But some of the ingredients might've already had an effect on her cut, so he took her hand, and held it, taking out a healing salve from his pocket and softly spreading it over the healing cut. He chuckled softly and looked up at Granger from his lashes, she was looking at him with a slight frown;

"No foolish wand-waving, remember. So I will not heal you with my wand." He smirked as her expression relaxed, and she became limp before she fell forward. He clutched her form confusedly and then looked at her potion, which seemed to be smoking when he knew it shouldn't be, and he knew automatically what had happened, the fumes were toxic, from an unauthorised ingredient. Her blood. He picked her up bridal style and revelled in the way her body fit perfectly in his arms. He could have used a levitating spell, but he, once again, felt the urge to touch her, and this gave him the perfect excuse. He quickly waved his wand and emptied the cauldrons, they would start new later, but he needed to get Hermione to the hospital wing before she developed the second stage of potion poisoning, which would be made worse by the still healing cut on her finger. He felt himself be genuinely worried for her and he didn't want to know why.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: The Apprentice.  
Chapter: 3 – Concern.  
Author: LizzyUnexpected  
Rating: R/MA; HG/SS  
Warnings: MAYBE .  
AN: MY LIFE IS INSANE. But I'm trying to update for you lovely readers. Review if there's anything you'd like to ask or maybe suggest, but otherwise I'm not holding the story hostage :p if you will. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, they belong to J.K Rowling. And if I did own it, Snape would have nevereverever died.**

* * *

Snape had not moved from Hermione's side as she slept in the quiet hospital wing of Hogwarts. He was glad that term hadn't started yet, he needed the peace and quiet to think about what had just happened in his perfectly safe laboratory. His mind was racing, how the _hell_ did she cut her finger like that. She should have been watching her potions, and as soon as she woke up, she would definitely, _definitely, _be notified of this. He watched her sleep, her eyes closed as in a peaceful sleep as her body recovered. He decided that there would be no more potion brewing for her, for the rest of the day, and he had to find out what was distracting her; since if they had another accident like that, it would be best if they work together to sort out any discomfort in the lab.

As his eyes looked over her slumbering form, he noted the changes she had undergone since her time at Hogwarts. She was slender, even though she had been during school, her form was more womanly and she looked better fed. She had curves, and this surprised him, since she had always been as flat as a board... not that he looked, that is. Her skin looked so soft and smooth, and he couldn't resist taking her hand in his, running his thumb over the back of her hand, so tenderly, that it actually frightened him how she could cause a shiver to run up his spine when he touched her. Her hair was splayed over the pillow, her soft curls evenly spread, lion-like. He reached with his other hand to stroke the soft curls, even silkier than he imagined.

"Severus..." The small whisper made him pull his hands back into his lap, and he sat rigid as the girl's eyes bored into his. She didn't even look like she had been asleep and this irked him; surely he would be able to sense if she was awake, but alas, he couldn't. She moved over in the small hospital cot and patted the space, as if gesturing for him to move next to her. This made his eyebrows shoot up in shock; _she couldn't possibly want __**me**__ to get in __**bed**__ with her..._ but she did. She gave him a pleading look, one which he would not be able to ignore, so he gave a heaving sigh and took off his boots, climbing into bed with her. He made sure that the curtain around the bed would not be opened with a flick of his wand, and he looked at Hermione, suddenly noticing how close in proximity they actually were;

"Hermione... This is highly inappropriate." Severus said to her firmly, but he stayed in place, pulling the blankets over them with a sigh. Hermione smirked and placed her hand on his chest. She felt his body go stiff, as if her touch hurt him, and she drew little circles with her finger. She then noticed what he was wearing. Just a white button up shirt and some black slacks. She had _never_ seen Severus Snape so... undressed. She peered behind him and saw his robes draped over the chair and then peeked under the sheets to see he was not wearing any shoes. _Severus Snape has feet! And toes!_ She started to giggle and Severus looked at her with a raised brow;

"What is it, you find so humorous, Hermione?"

"You've got toes!" She managed to choke, and soon enough he was laughing along with her.

* * *

Later that night, Severus and Hermione were still chatting away in bed in the hospital wing, they had found out so much about each other, feeling somehow comfortable in such a close position. Hermione's arm was draped over his waist, and Severus' hand was resting on her hip as they faced each other. Hermione swore she had never seen Snape smile so much, and something strange had come over her as she gave into the urge to touch his face. She began on his forehead, tracing the frown lines on the flat panel, and that led to the dent between his brow, which she smoothed over with her fingers. Severus lay there breathing slowly as her soft padded fingers sent tingles down his spine, and ended up in a rather unsuitable place, when lying in bed with his apprentice who was only wearing a hospital gown. He huffed a little and looked at her;

"Hermio-" He was interrupted by a thumb pressing down on his lips, and his eyes fluttered shut at the sensations it bought.

"Just trust me?" She continued to traced the lines and contours of his face before she reached his lips, her thumb gliding along the soft pink skin effortlessly. She had come to the conclusion that this man was attractive in her eyes, even though she wouldn't admit it to him, so neither of them saw what came next. She pressed her own lips to his, and Severus' eyes shot open, he never expected her to do anything like... kiss him? He was confused... She should have been repulsed by the thought of touching him, let alone kissing him, an intimate show of affection. He would have kissed back, if she hadn't noticed his reaction and pulled back, gnawing on her bottom lip nervously;

"I... I would say I'm sorry... But I'm not." She chose her words carefully, she knew she would probably get scolded, but instead, Severus just placed a hand on her cheek and stroked his thumb along her brow. They could talk about what was happening later, but for that moment, Severus just wanted _that_ feeling again... to have her scent burn his nose and her soft lips upon his;

"Just trust me." Unlike Hermione's statement before, Severus' was confident and tender, almost like his lips as he pressed them against hers, softly moving his lips as hers reacted. He ran his hands up her sides calming and pulled her on top of him. He continued to kiss her lightly, pecking her rosy lips, even nibbling and sucking at times. He kept his speed slow and sure, giving Hermione the chance to back out if she could. But she didn't, so after ten minutes of thorough snogging, he ran his hands under her gown and palmed her breasts softly, kneading them as if they were an animal he was petting. He only pulled back after he felt Hermione start to unbutton his shirt, and he gulped a little. He hadn't made love to a woman... in years, if ever. He had the casual fuck and root, but not really a passionate exchange made by lovers. _Where did that come from? Lovers?_ He shook it off and he finally found his voice;

"Ah... Hermione... You sure?" The only encouragement he got was a sure nod from her, and he rolled them over in the small bed so he was above her. He felt it was only fair if he was just undressed as she was, and so he grabbed his wand and vanished all of his clothes other than the pair of plain, silk, boxer shorts he was wearing. He watched as Hermione gulped a little and then pulled the gown over her head, leaving her in only a pair of pink knickers. He moaned in delight as he saw her body; so beautiful and smooth, except for the scars that tainted her flesh, and he found that they made her all the more beautiful. He nibbled down her throat and down her breasts, taking the taut nipple into his mouth, and she arched, pressing her breast further into his mouth. He kissed back up to his mouth after he finished teasing each breast and he kissed her with a passion and ferocity he never knew he had. They were still gentle kisses, since he wanted whatever they were to do that night to be as careful as possible, and he ran his hands over his body, before pulling off her knickers.

Hermione moaned and tangled her hands in his hair as he kissed her, and she spread her legs, letting him fit in between them. Her hands explored his body, just as she had done before, and how he did with her body, and she memorised every bump, muscle and scar that he had. She looked at him, her eyes full of desire, which matched his and she nodded, removing his boxers with her wand;

"Severus... I need you..." she groaned and pressed her heat against his abdomen, letting him know how much she wanted him, and of course, his evidence of watching her was pressing against her thigh. She was a little nervous, since it had been years, five at least, since she had been in any way intimate with a man, she was always so busy with her job. But as she looked over Severus, she somehow forgot all of this and urged him on, not stopping to think about what they were about to do, and how many rules they were breaking... Surely it would be deemed inappropriate, but it was legal for colleagues to have... moments. If their relationship went further than that night, they would probably have to keep it a secret, since she couldn't be called for favouritism, or anything of the sorts, especially since Severus used to be her teacher and now was her mentor.

Severus saw the cogs going off in Hermione's brain, and he chuckled slightly, she never stopped thinking, even when he was about to sink his cock deep into her wetness. He pressed his lips to her temple and sighed, "Are you alright? With this... us?" He rubbed his cock over her, earning a groan and a loud reply of;

"Ohhh yes! Perfectly... fine with... this... But... It's been a while." Hermione looked up at him, her teeth once again assaulting her lips, and he kissed her reassuringly, before, without warning, slowly pressing his cock inside of her waiting core. She tensed and he held in a moan, knowing it would be a little stingy for her, not having done any sort of sexual activity in years. As soon as he felt her relax her grip on him, he began to move slowly, bringing out his whole cock, and then sliding back in rather fast. This made Hermione squirm and groan, her hips connecting with his with a nice slap. She buried her head in his neck, and moaned loudly, every time he moved against her;

"Oh mother of merlin!" Her head fell back against the pillow, and she arched against him, trying to get him as deep as possible. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him in closer with every one of his thrusts, and Severus almost came at the sight before him; Hermione Granger, one of the golden trio, brightest witch of her age, writhing beneath him and begging for mercy. He took her hands in his and moved faster, now slamming his cock into her with great force, earning a cry from Hermione each time. He felt her insides tighten and he knew she was close, as was he, and he could no longer take it as she orgasmed around him, he came along with her, both of them screaming each other's names with their release.

Severus collapsed atop of her and lay there for a while, coming down from his high. He looked down at the magnificent sight below him, Hermione covered in sweat, her hair sticking to her face. Her lips were swollen and her eyes shut as she sought out the breath that was taken away by Severus. He carefully pulled out of her and lay next to her, his hand running over her body, stopping briefly at her stomach to wordlessly cast a contraception charm. He didn't want a surprise in the months to come, as this was enough for him. He leant over and softly kissed her shoulder and Hermione all of a sudden chuckled breathily;

"Well that was... Unexpected." Severus also chuckled at this but then kissed his witch softly, which quietened the laugh. He pulled away, his eyes glinting with a happiness he hadn't had in quite a while;

"Oh shut it, know it all." He smirked his Slytherin smirk and pulled her body to his before succumbing to the calls of sleep.

* * *

**Hope you liked :)**

**R&R**


End file.
